Can opener



15, 1939. R. c. MCROBERTS ,497

CAN OPENER Filed June 21, 1937 Patented Aug. 15, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CAN OPENER Richard Carl McRoberts, Tama, Iowa Application June 21, 1937, Serial No. 149,346

1 Claim.

I have found by actual tests that with the can openers now in common use a very substantial quantity of cuttings from the can cover is released from the can cover and. drops into the interior of the can. These cuttings frequently have sharp edges and are sometimes of spiral form and when contained in food within the can ,and the food is consumed by humans, these outtings are detrimental to health.

The object of my invention is to provide a can opener of simple, durable and inexpensive construction in which the cuttings from a can cover are magnetically held to thecutting blade and are prevented from being scraped off of the cutting blade as it progresses through the cut made in the can cover and are held upon the cutting blade until after the completion of the cut, after which said cuttings may be fully and completely detached from the cutting blade upon the deenergization of an electromagnet arranged for magnetizing the blade.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view illustrating a can opener embodying my invention.

Figure 2 shows a side elevation of my improved can opener in position within a can and illustrating the electrical connections and transformer for magnetizing the cutter blade.

Figure 3 illustrates diagrammatically the electrical elements of my improvement.

Figure l shows an enlarged detail vertical section of my improved cutting blade in position within a can cover and illustrating the manner in which the cuttings are retained by the blade and not scraped off as the blade proceeds through the opening cutting the can.

Figure 5 shows a side elevation of a modified form of can opener embodying my invention and inserted in position in a can, a portion of which is broken away to show the cutting blade; and

Figure 6 shows a front elevation of same with the blade inserted in a can, which is shown in section.

Referring to the accompanying drawing I have used the reference numeral Hi to indicate the cutting edge of the blade, H the thickened portion back of the cutting edge, and It a relatively thin portion of the blade back of the thickened portion. In this part ii of the blade I have formed a series of openings or pockets i3. The said blade is connected to a head portion l4, and projecting outwardly substantially parallel with the blade is the customary fulcrum'member i5, having a notch at IE to engage a can rim. The hea portion I4 is provided with a handle l1, and con 55 tained within the handle is a magnetic coil I8.

The wires l9 connect with the coil l8 and lead to an iron core transformer from which the service wires 2i extend to any suitable source of electric current. I preferably use for the cutting edge It a hard metal, and for the remainder of 6' the tool a metal such as soft iron.

In practical operation with this form of my invention the operator grasps the handle [1, forces the point of the blade downwardly through the top of the can, and then by reciprocating the 10 handle and using the fulcrum member [5 the blade is made to progress through the can cover, and in its cutting operation it moves upwardly and forwardly. During this cutting movement substantial quantities of cuttings are removed 1 from the can cover. These cuttings are frequently sharp edged, and sometimes spiral in form, and with an ordinary can opener substantial quantities of these cuttings are caused to drop downwardly into the food contents of a can, 20 and I have found that in many instances these cuttings are detrimental to the health of the persons consuming the food. With my improvement the edges of the severed portion of the can are spread apart by the widened portion H of the blade as it passes through between the severed portions of the can without having its sur-' faces scraped by said severed portions; hence, when the blade is magnetized, all of thesecuttings will adhere to the blade and not be scraped off by the edges of the cut in the can cover.

In addition to this, I preferably provide openings or pockets I3 in the blade member I 2 into which some of these cuttings are received and magnetically held. After the can cover is removed and it is desired to clean the blade, it is electrically disconnected and the blade, therefore, becomes demagnetized and these small particles of cuttings may then be readily and easily removed or will drop off from the can opener so 40 that the next time the can opener is used it will be free from such cuttings which might otherwise be deposited in the can when the blade is first inserted.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Figures 5 and 6 I have shown a can opener of a different type now in common use and in which there is provided a toothed driving wheel 22 to engage the rim 23 at the top of the can, and which wheel is rotated by a crank 24. ratus is provided with a blade 25, and the cutting edge of the blade is made in the same manner as before described in connection with my preferred form of the invention. As the crank is rotated, the can is also rotated and the blade cuts 55 The 8591 through thecaninthesamemsnnerasbetore described.

ments added thereto can openers of various kinds may be operated with the sameease and facility asthosenowincommonuse,andthatwhenthus operated with my improvements all cuttings from the can cover are retained by the blade and prevented irom dropping into the can, and also prevented from being scraped oil by the severed edges of the cut in the can cover as the blade.

progresses through it, and, furthermore, with my improvement, when the magnet is de-energized,

" all 0! these cuttings may be quickly and easily the next operation of the opener when the blade is forced downwardly through the top oi. the can. In practice I have found that with my improve- 7 I claim as my invention:

A can opener, comprising a cutting blade having a sharpened cutting edge portion. made of hard metal for eiiective cutting, a laterally widened portion at the rear oi. the cutting edge and a laterally narrowed portion at the rear edge of the blade made oi. soft metal which will be quickly demagnetized, means for magnetizing the blade so that metal particles will adhere to said narrowed portion and not be scraped oil when the blade is being advanced through a can cover, and for demagnetizing the blade so that said metal particles may be released and removed.

RICHARD CARL McROBERTS. 

